Photos of cops involved in sex racket released

PUDUCHERRY: The Crime Branch – Criminal Investigation Department of the Puducherry police on Tuesday released photographs of six former policemen, who were allegedly involved in a child prostitution racket, after they failed to surrender despite warnings. The investigation agency sought help from human rights and child rights activists to alert them immediately if they spot these former policemen. Nine former policemen were booked in this case. Three of them — former sub-inspector V Balakrishnan and former police constables M Selvakumar and G Sankar surrendered before the agency on Saturday. They were remanded in judicial custody.

However, six more former policemen — V Yuvaraj and T Sundar, A Anusa Basha, B Kumaravel, G Pandarinathan and V Rajaram did not surrender despite warning, forcing the agency to release their photographs in an effort to nab them. “We released their photographs at 12pm on Tuesday. We are confident of receiving vital information that will lead to their arrest. We will nab them soon. The agency has so far arrested 12 people and rescued four minor girls. These six former policemen are only people wanted in the case. We will file a chargesheet soon and arrest them,” said superintendent of police (CB-CID) S Venkatasamy. The SP did not rule out the possibility of the agency unearthing the involvement of more people in this case.

The agency had earlier announced reward for information leading to their arrest. The SP assured that the identity of the informers will not be revealed.

Police busted a child prostitution racket in May last year following a tip from a child welfare committee and Childline. Police arrested 12 people, including four pimps – K Pushpa, 43 from Thavalakuppam, S Raghu alias Rahman Khan, 29, from Tindivanam, M Manickam, 22, from Anumanthai and S Arul Mary, 73, from Savirirayalu Street and rescued four minor girls. All the accused including the nine former policemen were booked under Sections 4 (punishment for penetrative sex assault), 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sex assault) and 16 (abetment of an offence) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, and Sections 3 (punishment for keeping a brothel or allowing the premises to be used as a brothel), 5 (procuring, inducing or taking person for the sake of prostitution) and 7 (prostitution in or in the vicinity of public place) of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the IPC.